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NVIDIA's PRIME Helpers Are Ready For Linux 3.9

02-15-2013, 08:10 AM

Phoronix: NVIDIA's PRIME Helpers Are Ready For Linux 3.9

Aside from a lot of other exciting DRM driver happenings for the Linux 3.9 kernel, it looks like the DRM "PRIME Helpers" that were conceived by NVIDIA to help them support DMA_BUF in their binary driver will be merged...

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Although I like having open-source infrastructures, when it comes to the end user it doesn't really matter that much whether their GPU driver is os or not. In my opinion the only way we could achieve this is if NVIDIA and other hardware producers would decide to contribute to os drivers themselves(tegra coms to mind); reverse engineering is remarkable but not really sustainable, especially for complex hardware such as GPUs.

PS. I hope Alan Cox and friends won't throw a tantrum over this just for the sake of suing somebody, considering NVIDIA actually implemented this functionality themselves.

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Nvidia rocks once again and Linus, Cox & GPL nazis can go and four letter word themselves.

Let's pretend that they weren't and let Nvidia link a proprietary BLOb directly into the kerenel internals without making a fuss. A few years down the road some competing company that had contributed code into the drm or dma_buf sections of the kernel could sue NVIDIA and set them back financially and legally. In such a case almost noone would be willing to get close to the kernel. Companies are much more comfortable around Linux when violations of the license are first met with loud and clear warnings, instead of court action. You may not like the GPL, but Linux for better or worse is pretty much stuck with it. If you don't like it, go implement dma_buf on FreeBSD. (Oh that's right, It's several years away from the point where you could even start)